Health literacy levels and predictors among type 2 diabetes patients in Qatar: An analytical cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) requires significant patient involvement, with health literacy playing a crucial role in patients' ability to navigate their care. Qatar has one of the highest T2DM prevalence rates globally, yet research on health literacy in this population remains limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate health literacy levels and predictors among Type 2 diabetes patients in Qatar.

METHODS

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted, targeting patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. A total of 450 patients were randomly sampled, and data were collected through structured interviews using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire - short version (HLS-EU-Q16) to measure health literacy. In addition to determining the prevalence of different health literacy levels, associations between health literacy and patient characteristics were examined using bivariate analysis. A regression model was employed to identify independent predictors of health literacy.

RESULTS

Of the 450 participants, 57.8% were male with a mean age of 51.6 years. 62.4 % demonstrated sufficient health literacy, 31.8 % problematic, and 5.8 % inadequate levels. Health literacy was significantly associated with participants' age, education, occupation, income, living situation, diabetes duration, treatment, and complications (P < 0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that primary (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 0.080; P < 0.001), no formal (AOR, 0.162; P = 0.008) and secondary education (AOR, 0.266; P = 0.001) each reduced the odds of higher literacy versus university education, while living with family (AOR, 2.843; P = 0.030) and being managed with oral medications alone (AOR, 3.230; P = 0.004) or no medication (AOR, 11.196; P = 0.038) increased the odds.

CONCLUSION

Although a high proportion of patients had sufficient health literacy, many still struggled with problematic or inadequate levels, especially those with lower education or complex insulin regimens. Routine health literacy assessment and targeted, culturally appropriate education for high-risk groups should be embedded in diabetes services and national strategies.